Ex-Mo. Gov. Gets Probation for Campaign Payment

Former Missouri Gov. Roger Wilson has been sentenced to two years of probation for misusing money to make political donations.

Wilson, a 63-year-old Democrat, pleaded guilty in April to one count of misdemeanor campaign finance fraud, the same day his federal indictment was announced.

He admitted that he improperly steered $8,000 to the state Democratic Party in 2009 while serving as CEO of Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Co., a state-created workers' compensation firm.

Wilson could have received up to six months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

Wilson was a state senator for 14 years, then served two terms as lieutenant governor. He became governor for three months after Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash in October 2000 while running for U.S. Senate.